The Vital Center is Holding

Reports of the demise of Conservative Judaism are greatly exaggerated

by Rabbi Alan Silverstein

Many Conservative
Jews were
alarmed by press
accounts of the
Jewish Community
Study of New York:
2011. The study claims national implications,
noting that “the future of American
Jewry is powerfully influenced by developments”
in New York.

If you didn’t read about the study, the
finding that caused the most concern was
this: “Over the last two decades, both Conservative
and Reform household percentages
have fallen, with the Conservative
proportion falling even further than the
Reform.”

Disturbing in a different manner was the
executive summary of the Los Angeles-based
Synagogue 3000’s recent nationwide survey
of Reform and Conservative congregations,
which concludes that “Reform
congregations fare better” than Conservative
counterparts in religious life, mission
and morale. We are left pondering: are we
witnessing the precipitous numeric and religious
collapse of Conservative Judaism, the “vital center” of the Jewish spectrum?

I am relieved to report that closer examination
of the data reveals a more nuanced
assessment.

First, contrary to the headlines, the New
York numbers for the three large movements
do not reflect the disappearance of Conservative
Jews. In fact, the study found
142,000 affiliated Modern Orthodox Jews,
191,000 members of Conservative synagogues,
and 160,000 members of Reform
synagogues. What patterns do these numbers
represent compared to a decade ago?
The study team found
“approximate stability”
in the number of Conservative
Jews claiming
synagogue membership
between 2002 and
2011, according to an
article in the New York
Jewish Week.

Second, reading the
actual data within the
Synagogue 3000 study reveals not only the
weaknesses but also the strengths of our congregations.
For example, the research team
reported that on Saturday morning, “Conservative
services are far better attended than
Reform services.” This greater attendance is
“a reflection [in contrast to most Reform
temples] of there being an ongoing Shabbat
morning worshipping community in Conservative congregations.”
They
also assessed that
enhanced Shabbat
engagement in
Conservative synagogues
can be
attributed in part
to greater “emphasis upon observing special
practices … on the Sabbath or … holy day”
and upon “personal prayer, meditation, devotion
or other spiritual practices.”

Third, the study is misleading when it
bundles all Jews other
than the Orthodox
into a single “non-
Orthodox” category. In
fact, the New York
researchers affirm that
joining a Conservative
congregation makes a
huge difference in
terms of active Jewish
engagement. The
study consistently referred to “a familiar
denominational gradient, with the Orthodox
substantially leading Conservative adherents,
who in turn surpass Reform Jews on
measures of engagement and attendance,”
while all far exceed the level among the “Just
Jewish” respondents.

While 73 percent of affiliated Conservative
Jews rate “very high” or “high” on a scale measuring Jewish engagement, 72 percent
of the unaffiliated “Just Jewish” respondents
rank either “low” or “very low.” In
response to this data, Jewish Theological
Seminary Professor Jack Wertheimer concluded,
“it is time to put to rest the
fable…that those who do not identify with
a denomination are an innovative breed
of intrepid pioneers intent on carving a new
form of Jewish identity. Overwhelmingly,
such people are progressively disengaging
from every aspect of Jewish life.”

Furthermore, within the denominational
gradient among the non-Orthodox, both
the Synagogue 3000 and New York Federation
studies identify Conservative Jews
as exhibiting the highest levels of Jewish
intensity. Conservative Jews not only are
“substantially more likely to attend monthly
services” than their fellow “non-Orthodox”
Jews, they also excel in terms of participation
in Shabbat meals, sustaining Jewish
friends, talking about Jewish matters, accessing
Jewish websites, and donating to
UJA/Federation.

Affiliated Conservative Jews also are noteworthy
within the non-Orthodox spectrum
in their commitment to educating their children
as Jews. Uniquely high percentages
of Conservative-affiliated children receive
some type of formal Jewish education, attend
day schools, enroll in Jewish preschool or
Jewish day care, and spend time in Israel.
Conservative congregations also are the most
common non-Orthodox addresses in which
to find a daily minyan, kosher kitchens, delegations
to the AIPAC Policy conference,
Israel Bonds campaigns, and so much more.

If many factors point to a high quality
of Jewish engagement within Conservative
ranks, why does survey data frequently
reveal a numeric decline? This important
question merits careful analysis. Here are
but a few factors to be explored:

First, sons and daughters of Conservative
Jews are marrying and having children later
and later. During these odyssey years (their
20s and 30s), single adults cluster into urban
singles scenes. This does not mean that they
necessarily will be lost to the movement
of their youth. Instead, they temporarily
self-identify as “Just Jewish” until their marital
and household paths have been determined.
At that point, young married couples
with tots ready for preschool routinely
re-enter the world of synagogue membership
and movement identification.

Second, the populations of certain American
neighborhoods have aged or have
changed their ethnic and/or religious composition.
Unfortunately, the Conservative
movement has been far too slow in balancing
these predictable membership losses with
the seeding of congregations in emerging
areas of residence. An entrepreneurial
approach to synagogue growth has become
a priority for the re-organized United Syn- CJ
agogue of Conservative Judaism. The USCJ’s
strategic plan also focuses on enhancing the
vitality of local Conservative synagogues.
The goal is to make congregations more
skilled in their retention of empty-nesters,
while simultaneously providing more energetic
outreach to prospective members.

In sum, a careful reading of the current
surveys ought not to discourage the Conservative
movement. Embedded within the
sometimes difficult findings is a context that
is considerably less ominous. The data point
to the possibility and hope for a much
brighter future.

Rabbi Alan Silverstein is religious leader of Congregation Agudath Israel of West Essex in Caldwell, New Jersey, and chair of the Masorti Israel Foundation.